At this point, is anyone still surprised?
Fresh off his split decision victory over Tyron Woodley last Sunday night, August 29, at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Jake “The Problem Child” Paul now has his sights set on bigger and better challenges in the world of boxing.
A couple of weeks ago, Paul revealed a handful of recognizable names on his “hit list,” which included MMA fighters like Kamaru Usman, Conor McGregor, Nick and Nate Diaz, fellow YouTuber KSI, and even his own brother Logan, among others.
But after taking care of business against another non-boxer in former UFC Champion Woodley, it’s high time for Paul to end this circus and step in the ring with a real boxer.
Sure, Paul’s form still looks slightly goofy, and there is a tinge of awkwardness still present when he throws punches. But there’s no question he has improved since his first time in the ring, and he continues to get better with every fight.
At this point, you simply can’t deny that Paul is a real boxer. At just 24 years of age, he also has plenty of time to blossom into a bonafide fighter. But to do that, he has to test himself against fellow boxers.
Today, Evolve Daily shares five REAL boxers Jake Paul should fight next.
1) Tommy Fury
At the top of the list should be Tommy Fury, Tyson Fury’s half-brother. Fury is undefeated as a professional at 7-0. He appeared on the Paul vs. Woodley undercard, beating Anthony Taylor by unanimous decision after four rounds.
The 22-year-old is a rising star in boxing, and is also a semi-celebrity in his home country, after having appeared on the fifth season of popular dating reality television show, Love Island UK, in 2019.
Paul and Fury have been trading barbs on social media for months, and both men seem to want the fight.
“I’m ready, and I’m here and I’m game to fight, but obviously this man is not,” Fury told TMZ, believing that Paul was trying to avoid him.
“He doesn’t want to fight. He’s not a fighting man. So, when he grows a pair of [expletives], come and see me. But until then, don’t mention my name ever again.”
2) Canelo Alvarez
Let’s get one thing straight before we even dive into this. There is no universe where Paul can even come remotely close to beating pound-for-pound king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in the ring. Even as the smaller man, it’s almost a guarantee for Alvarez to KO Paul in spectacular fashion.
However, Paul may have grown just enough in star power to share the ring with the Mexican multiple-division world champion and make millions of dollars in the process.
While the outcome of this fight is certainly not in question, it would end up being one of the richest fights in the history of boxing. The man currently considered the best fighter on the planet, Alvarez is boxing’s biggest active draw. He has legions of Mexican fans and boxing fans who watch closely every time he steps in the ring.
Conversely, Paul is a social media phenomenon, with 20.4 million subscribers on YouTube, 17 million followers on Instagram, and 4 million on Twitter, the majority of whom don’t even follow boxing.
The two fanbases combined would no doubt break a litany of pay-per-view records. It’s a pure money fight. Nothing more, nothing less.
3) Gervonta Davis
Another fighter Paul has had social media scuffles with is none other than 26-year-old junior lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Davis called Paul out just before the latter’s older brother Logan fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. last June, and the two have gone back and forth since.
Mentored by Mayweather himself, and developed under the watchful eye of trainer Calvin Ford, Davis has emerged as one of boxing’s fastest rising stars. He’s also extremely talented and highly skilled, albeit somewhat small for his division.
There’s obviously a massive size and weight differential, with Davis stepping on the scales at the 130-lb. limit for his fights, while Paul weighs in at the cruiserweight limit of 200-lbs. That alone makes this fight improbable. But if the two can somehow meet in the middle, it could make for an entertaining scrap.
4) Antonio Tarver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjs6E6tLD0U
Multiple-time former light heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver may be 52 years old, but there’s no doubt the legend believes he can still fight.
In fact, Tarver already has Paul in his crosshairs, having called out the YouTuber slash boxer in late 2020. “The Magic Man” expressed his intent to exact revenge on Paul for “what he did to Nate Robinson.” Paul knocked out the former NBA star in two rounds in November of last year.
Tarver would be giving up nearly 30 years in age, as the two are separated by almost three decades. Tarver fought in his first professional boxing match in 1997, the same year Paul was born.
The former boxing champ is looking at taking on a few exhibition fights, and was in fact in line to face former UFC heavyweight world champion Frank Mir on the undercard of Paul vs. Ben Askren, but was unable to secure a boxing license in time to make the fight a reality.
5) Artur Beterbiev
Apart from the previously mentioned Canelo Alvarez, the biggest test for Paul would have to be undefeated Russian Artur Beterbiev. Beterbiev is the unified WBC and IBF light heavyweight world champion, and widely considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport of boxing today.
All 16 of Beterbiev’s career wins so far have come by scintillating knockout, proving the unimaginable power latent in his fists. More importantly, against the Russian, Paul would not only be facing a real boxer, but also one that is his own size.
Unfortunately, the risk-to-reward ratio for Paul in facing Beterbiev is incredibly lopsided. There’s just way too much risk for Paul, with Beterbiev having yet to establish himself as a box office attraction.
If Beterbiev develops into a transcendent star, perhaps, and if Paul continues to develop as a fighter and continues to win, they could meet at some point down the road.
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